Periya G Gopalan

6350177, Feb 26, 2002

May 17, 2000

09/573621

Jose R. Gonzalez-Martin - Phoenix AZ
Chris Karlsrud - Chandler AZ
Robert Allen - Gilbert AZ
Toby Jordan - Gilbert AZ
Craig Howard - Gilbert AZ
Arthur Hamer - Sun Lakes AZ
Jeff Cunnane - Phoenix AZ
Periya Gopalan - Chandler AZ
Bill Thornton - Apache Junction AZ
Jon MacErnie - Chandler AZ
Fernando Calderon - Chandler AZ

SpeedFam-IPEC Corporation - Chandler AZ

B24B 100

451 41, 451287

An integral machine for polishing, cleaning, rinsing and drying workpieces such as semiconductor wafers. A load/unload station has a plurality of platforms for receiving cassettes of wafers to be processed. A dry end-effector of a robot retrieves wafers from the cassettes and transfers them to an index table. A transfer apparatus having wafer carrier elements picks up wafers from the index table, moves the wafers to a polishing table for polishing, and returns the wafers to the index table for further processing. A flipper moves the polished wafers to a cleaning station. The cleaning station includes scrub stations, a rinsing station and a spin dryer station, and a connective system of water tracks. A wet end-effector of the robot transfers rinsed wafers to the spin dryer station. The dry end-effector of the robot moves dried wafers from the spin dryer station back to the cassette of origination.

6364745, Apr 2, 2002

Mar 13, 2000

09/525315

Jose R. Gonzalez-Martin - Phoenix AZ
Chris Karlsrud - Chandler AZ
Robert Allen - Gilbert AZ
Toby Jordan - Gilbert AZ
Craig Howard - Gilbert AZ
Arthur Hamer - Sun Lakes AZ
Jeff Cunnane - Phoenix AZ
Periya Gopalan - Chandler AZ
Bill Thornton - Apache Junction AZ
Jon MacErnie - Chandler AZ
Fernando Calderon - Chandler AZ

SpeedFam-IPEC Corporation - Chandler AZ

B24B 4900

451 6, 451 41, 451 5

An integral machine for polishing, cleaning, rinsing and drying workpieces such as semiconductor wafers. A load/unload station has a plurality of platforms for receiving cassettes of wafers to be processed. A dry end-effector of a robot retrieves wafers from the cassettes and transfers them to an index table. A transfer apparatus having wafer carrier elements picks up wafers from the index table, moves the wafers to a polishing table for polishing, and returns the wafers to the index table for further processing. A flipper moves the polished wafers to a cleaning station. The cleaning station includes scrub stations, a rinsing station and a spin dryer station, and a connective system of water tracks. A wet end-effector of the robot transfers rinsed wafers to the spin dryer station. The dry end-effector of the robot moves dried wafers from the spin dryer station back to the cassette of origination.

6368183, Apr 9, 2002

Jan 28, 2000

09/493851

Daniel Trojan - Phoenix AZ
Periya Gopalan - Chandler AZ
Jon MacErnie - Gilbert AZ

SpeedFam-IPEC Corporation - Chandler AZ

B24B 4900

451 8, 451 67, 451332, 15 883, 134902, 414936

Apparatus and method for cleaning, rinsing and drying work pieces such as semiconductor wafers. The apparatus can be combined, in an integrated apparatus, with a CMP machine. The apparatus includes one or more brush boxes with water tracks to convey work pieces to and from the brush boxes. Each brush box and its associated water track provide for the containment of cleaning agents such as HF used in the cleaning process so that different cleaning agents used in different brush boxes are kept segregated. The efficiency of the brush box is enhanced by providing for movement of work pieces back and forth through the brush box. Thus work pieces can make more than one pass through a brush box.

6685537, Feb 3, 2004

Jun 5, 2000

09/587593

Clinton O. Fruitman - Chandler AZ
Mark A. Meloni - Louisville TX
Periya Gopalan - Chandler AZ
Andrew Yednak, III - Phoenix AZ

SpeedFam-IPEC Corporation - Chandler AZ

B24B 4900

451 6, 451 41, 451527, 451548, 51289

The present invention is an apparatus and method for manufacturing a window into a polishing pad used during a planarization process of a front surface of a wafer. A hole is created in the polishing pad at a location where a window is desired. A first release film may be pressed against the working surface of the polishing pad thereby covering one end of the hole. Window material of suitable mechanical, chemical and optical properties is cast in the hole. A second release film may also be pressed against the bottom surface of the polishing pad covering the other end of the hole. The window material is preferably cured with light to quickly form and bond the window into the hole. The release films may be removed leaving the cast window in the polishing pad.

6802955, Oct 12, 2004

Jan 11, 2002

10/044514

Ismail Emesh - Gilbert AZ
Periya Gopalan - Chandler AZ
Bentley J. Palmer - Chandler AZ

Speedfam-Ipec Corporation - Chandler AZ

B23H 300

205662, 205663, 205668, 205 87, 205222, 205205, 204212, 204224 M, 2042751

An electrochemical apparatus is provided which deposits material onto or removes material from the surface of a workpiece. The apparatus comprises a polishing pad and a platen which is in turn comprised of a first conductive layer in contact with the polishing pad and coupled to a first potential, a second conductive layer coupled to a second potential, and a first insulating layer disposed between the first and second conductive layers. At least one electrical contact is positioned within the polishing pad and is electrically coupled to the second conductive layer. A reservoir is provided which places an electrolyte solution in contact with the polishing pad and the workpiece. A carrier positions and/or presses the workpiece against the polishing pad.

6818604, Nov 16, 2004

Oct 4, 2001

09/971332

Ismail Emesh - Gilbert AZ
Yakov Epshteyn - Phoenix AZ
Periya Gopalan - Chandler AZ
Xingbo Yang - Phoenix AZ

SpeedFam-IPEC Corporation - Chandler AZ

C11D 732

510176, 510175, 510178, 510499

The invention relates generally to a system and method for improved cleaning of workpieces and workpiece cleaning tools. More specifically, the invention provides systems and methods for cleaning workpieces and sponges by manipulating the surface charge of one or more sponges by exposing them to various cleaning fluids. In one embodiment, sponges such as PVA sponges, having either positive, negative or neutral charges, are used to clean surfaces of workpieces such as semiconductor wafers. While cleaning a workpiece, a sponge may be exposed to a workpiece cleaning fluid, which may or may not alter the surface charge of the sponge. After cleaning the workpiece, the sponge may be exposed to a sponge cleaning fluid, which may or may not alter the surface charge of the sponge. Manipulating the surface charge of a sponge during and/or after cleaning of a workpiece may enhance cleaning of the workpiece, by attracting oppositely charged particles and/or repelling similarly charged particles from the workpiece surface. Manipulating the surface charge of a sponge may also enhance cleaning of the sponge, by reducing or eliminating the attractive forces between the surface of the sponge and the charged particles attached to it.

7297239, Nov 20, 2007

Aug 18, 2004

10/921666

Ismail Emesh - Gilbert AZ, US
Periya Gopalan - Chandler AZ, US
Bentley J. Palmer - Chandler AZ, US

Novellus Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

C25D 17/14
C25F 7/00
B23H 5/06
B23H 7/22

204224M, 204224 R, 204279, 204284, 2042881

An electrochemical apparatus is provided which deposits material onto or removes material from the surface of a workpiece. The apparatus comprises a polishing pad and a platen which is in turn comprised of a first conductive layer in contact with the polishing pad and coupled to a first potential, a second conductive layer coupled to a second potential, and a first insulating layer disposed between the first and second conductive layers. At least one electrical contact is positioned within the polishing pad and is electrically coupled to the second conductive layer. A reservoir is provided which places an electrolyte solution in contact with the polishing pad and the workpiece. A carrier positions and/or presses the workpiece against the polishing pad.

20020077049, Jun 20, 2002

Dec 15, 2000

09/741489

Clinton Fruitman - Chandler AZ, US
Timothy Dyer - Tempe AZ, US
Periya Gopalan - Chandler AZ, US
Wayne Lougher - Phoenix AZ, US
Hatsuyuki Arai - Zama-city, JP

SpeedFam-IPEC Corporation

B24B005/00
B24B047/02

451/397000

A reinforced bladder for a chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing device includes an elastomer infused with a reinforcing material. The elastomer can be a rubber such as EPDM. The reinforcing material can be a chopped fiber such as aramid. Alternatively, the reinforcing material can be a sheet (such as a triaxial or hexaxial weave of aramid) embedded in and infused with the elastomer.